The 2009 Boston College Eagles football team represented

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Atlantic Division of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach

Frank Spaziani Frank Joseph Spaziani (born April 1, 1947) is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 2009 to 2012, compiling a record of 22 wins and 29 losses. Prior to becoming head coach, Spazia ...

. He replaced

Jeff Jagodzinski Jeff Jagodzinski (born October 12, 1963) is an American football offensive line coach and former player who is the offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). He was previously the offensive coord ...

who was fired after the 2008 season. The Eagles finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

play and lost in the

Emerald Bowl The San Francisco Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game certified by the NCAA and played in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally named the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl during its first two editions from 2002 to 2003, it w ...

24–13 against USC.

Preseason

Mobile quarterback Anthony Haney (New Jersey recruit) was injured in an early preseason practice due to a career ending arm injury

Mark Herzlich

Mark Herzlich Mark Herzlich Jr. (born September 1, 1987) is a former American football linebacker and current sports commentator. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and played all seven seasons of his professional career w ...

, a senior

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, revealed on May 14 that he had been diagnosed with

Ewing's sarcoma Ewing sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumor, fever, and a bone fracture. The most common areas where it begins are the legs, pelvis, and chest wall. In about ...

, a

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

most commonly found in bone or soft tissue. In his statement, he indicated he was unsure what his illness would mean for his football future.

Season Highlights

In the Eagles 52–20 win over

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

, Sophomore RB

Montel Harris Montel Lamar Harris (born October 30, 1989) is American football running back. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and Temple Owls. Early years Harris played Pop Warner football for the Normandy Cowboys, until his middle sc ...

set two single-game school records when he rushed for 264 yards and 5 TDs. On October 3, College Gameday came to

for the Eagles' game against the Florida State Seminoles. During the broadcast, star LB

, who was forced to miss the entire 2009 season after being diagnosed with

Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumor, fever, and a bone fracture. The most common areas where it begins are the legs, pelvis, and chest wall. In about ...

, publicly announced that he was cancer-free. BC went on to beat the

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and ...

by a score of 28–21. Early in the season,

won in thrilling fashion as the Eagles defeated Wake Forest 27–24 in OT.

had the ball first in OT and kicked a field goal. On Wake Forest's possession, the

Demon Deacons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

had a First and Goal from the 3 yard line. Amazingly,

Isaac Johnson Isaac Johnson (November 1, 1803 – March 15, 1853) was a US politician and the 12th Governor of the state of Louisiana. Born on his father's plantation "Troy" near St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish, Johnson was the fourth son of J ...

stripped Riley Skinner and Wes Davis recovered the ensuing fumble to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. True freshman

Luke Kuechly Luke August Kuechly (; born April 20, 1991) is an American former professional football middle linebacker who played all eight seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He is generally recognized a ...

was pressed into service as a

weakside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

due to the unexpected departure of Herzlich and became a national sensation. He led the team and conference and finished second in the nation in Total Tackles with 158. Kuechly was named to the '' CFN'' All-America Team, the

Defensive Rookie of the Year, and the Defensive MVP of the

Schedule

Drafted Players

References

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